Fire Scale
by Luv satin
Summary: Ed and Al are seperated by an accident, but life goes on. What happens when war comes?
1. Chapter 1

Fire Scale

"Hey! You over there!" The shout rang across the hotel lobby. A boy ran across the room towards a short blonde boy and a tall suit of armour.

"Is one of you Edward Elric?" The boy asked as he stumbled to a halt in front of the pair.

"Yeah. Who's asking?" The blonde replied with a cocky grin.

"There's a phone call for you from a colonel mustang," The boy gestured towards the front desk of the hotel."Great, what does he want now," The blonde muttered as he walked. The suit of armour just sighed as he followed the shorter boy.

"Hello," Edward spoke into the phone in a bored manner.

"Fullmetal. Glad to have caught you," Edward rolled his eyes at this statement and waited for the other man to continue.

"I have a new mission for you. There have been a spate of disappearances in the area you are in. Approximately 6 people are missing. Though there may be more that were not reported."

"Isn't that something the local police should be investigating?" Edward said with a frown.

"Normally, yes. But 2 weeks ago a sergeant was reported missing, and last night a captain. With the involvement of military personnel it became a military matter."

"Fair enough. Why me?"

"You are the best suited, as you are already there. You're instructions are simple. So try not to mess this up..."

"What exactly are you implying," Edward growled into the phone.

"You are to investigate the disappearances," Mustang continued as if Edward hadn't spoken. "You are to locate the missing people and if possible return them to their homes. You are also to apprehend the person or people responsible. Do you understand Fullmetal."

"Yes colonel," Edward hissed, still annoyed at the earlier implied insult.

"Good. The last known location of the captain was on the North road. He was seen leaving the town you are currently in at noon yesterday. He never reached his destination, a village 2 hours walk from his starting point. I expect you to report as soon as you find anything."

Mustang hung up the phone without another word.

"Yeah, and goodbye to you too you bastard," Edward muttered into the unresponsive receiver.

"What did the colonel say, brother?"

"Looks like we'll be staying around here a while longer Al. Mustang wants us to investigate some disappearances," They started to make their way to the door.

"May as well start now, which way is the North road?" Edward was looking around without much enthusiasm.

"That way, brother. To the north..." Al pointed towards the road.

"I knew that..." Edward muttered starting in the direction that his brother was pointing. "Al, you follow behind me. Far enough back not to be seen, ok?"

"But... why?" Al was confused.

"Whoever is taking these people is more likely to show themselves to someone who is alone," Edward grinned reassuringly at Al.

"I don't know brother. What if you get hurt?"

"Don't worry Al. I can look after myself. Anyway, you won't be that far away if there's trouble," Edward grinned again. "Now wait here for a while before following."

The blonde moved away from his brother with a cheerful wave, and started onto the road. Leaving an anxious suit of armour in his wake.

As the blonde walked there was little happening to disturb the peace of the day. No other travellers were around, and the town behind gradually faded from sight. The alchemist couldn't even hear his brother, who he knew was following. The uninterrupted peace continued for an hour. Edward was beginning to think that nothing was going to happen on this trip, when he saw a figure approaching from the opposite direction. He tensed ready to fight. Then relaxed as he saw the person clearly. It was an elderly man, bent almost double with age.

As they were passing each other the old man reached out a hand to stop the blonde, who did stop and look at the old man curiously. The old man suddenly straightened with a maniacal grin and threw a handful of powder into Edwards face. The teenager inhaled sharply in surprise, breathing in some of the powder. He took a step back away from the man, but as he took another he found that his legs wouldn't support him. Everything was spinning as he collapsed to the ground. The last thing he saw before everything went black was the old man's still grinning face leering at him.

* * *

Alphonse sighed, he had been following his brother for an hour now, and he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong. He could just make out a small form in the distance. If it was possible would have squinted, there seemed to be 2 people no, and both appeared to have stopped. The suit of armour increased his place, and then as one of the people staggered and fell, he broke into a run.

He was too far away to reach them before the second person lifted the fallen one over his shoulder and headed away from the road. Al slowed his pace slightly and as discreetly as it was possible for a 7ft tall suit of armour. He watched anxiously as the person carrying his brother entered what appeared to be a cave. He waited for the footsteps to fade before following.

As he entered the cave he found that it was little more than an entrance hall for a stairway that spiralled up into the darkness. Stepping as quietly as he could, Al cautiously began to climb the stairs. Soon he began to hear voices, though he couldn't make out what they were saying. At the top of the stairs, he paused at an archway with bright light streaming through. Al peered through and shifted in surprise at what he saw.

It was a large room, built into the side of the mountain. But it was the far side of the room that really surprised Al. It was made completely of interlinking panes of glass. The view was breathtaking; it showed a clear view of the North road. Al guessed that was hoe the kidnapper chose his victims. There were screens positioned near the widows, Al couldn't see if there was anything behind them, closer to the entrance there was a workbench with containers of chemicals sitting on it. So preoccupied was Al with the view that he almost missed the movement in the room. There were 10 metal tables positioned across the centre of the room, movement from some of the tables confirmed that people were on them. There were smaller tables sitting near the metal ones, these also had containers of chemicals sitting on them.

A man was leaning over one of the tables strapping someone that Al assumed was his brother to the table. All the time the man was muttering and giggling to himself. The blonde on the table was starting to stir. While the man was occupied Al slipped into the room and tiptoed towards the man. He managed to get behind the man undetected and promptly hit the man over the head. The man crumpled bonelessly to the ground.

Al found himself staring into the slightly dazed face of his brother. Who blinked and grinned blearily up at Al.

"See Al, it was a good plan,"

"Brother, you got kidnapped," Al sounded reproachful as he started to undo the straps binding Edward to the table.

"It turned out ok though," Edward stretched out his arms and legs before jumping off the table, a little too enthusiastically. He knocked into one of the nearby tables, causing the containers fall to the floor and smash, spreading the chemicals that were in them to spread across the floor. As the substances mixed together they burst into flame. The brothers looked at each other.

"Quick, let's free these people," Edward and Al started freeing the other captives. There were 6 of them.

"Al, you get these guys out, and take this bozo too," Edward aimed a kick at the kidnapper, who was still out cold on the floor. "I'll check to make sure we didn't miss anyone."

"But brother, the fire is spreading..."

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. Now get going!"

Al reluctantly picked up the kidnapper from the floor and started ushering the rather confused ex-prisoners towards the exit. All the time glancing back at his brother, who was working his way towards the windows. With a final worried glance at the fire that was spreading through the room, Al started down the stairs.

They had just exited the cave when a loud explosion came from the room they had just left, followed swiftly by a massive blast of flame that came rolling down the stairs towards them. Instinctively everyone dove to the side away from the searing fire. Above them huge fountains of fire streamed from the mountain, looking almost like an erupting volcano.

Al stared in shock for a moment before jerking to his feet.

"Brother!" He was prevented from running back into the inferno that used to be a cave by two sets of arms holding him back.

"Don't. No-one could have survived that," the man who had spoken was holding Al's right arm in a vice-like grip.

"You don't know brother! He could still be alive! He could..." Al trailed of as watched the flames writhe like a living creature.

"No, the heat is too intense. And that lad was right in the middle of the explosion," It was the second man that had spoken this time.

Al hung his head, knowing that they were right and wishing that he could cry. He stopped trying to free himself from the men holding him.

"Come on lad, we need to get out of here," The second man spoke again tugging at Al's arm.

Al simply nodded; he turned and picked up the still unconscious kidnapper. He started to follow the ex-prisoners, but paused for a moment looking back at the fiery mountain.

"Brother... you promised everything would be ok..."

* * *

Doctor Stone was riding southwards on the North road when he saw one of the surrounding mountains explode with fire. He stopped to stare for a moment before kicking his mount into a canter, moving off the road and towards the inferno.

As he approached the mountain he saw a group of people headed away from the destruction, towards the road and away from himself. The doctor sighed, relieved that none of them seemed to be hurt. He was about to move off again when he saw a glint of light out of the corner of his eye. Curious he dismounted and walked over, something crunched beneath his foot.

"Glass..." He murmured out loud.

He was about to leave again when he saw a splash of colour on the ground, upon closer inspection he realised that it was blood. Looking more carefully now he spotted something he had missed before. The dull gleam of metal. He hurried over and found that the metal was an automail arm attached to a boy. The boy was covered in cuts and bruises, and his hair was so matted with blood that it was impossible to tell the colour.

The doctor frowned and knelt next to the boy, his fingers carefully examining the boy's skull. He winced slightly as his fingers came into contact with a bloody wound.

"Possible fracture to the skull," the doctor spoke out loud again, sitting back on his heels as he did so. "Well if you were injured in that fire, you are lucky to be alive.2

With a sigh the doctor started checking the boy for other injuries. Hoping that he could help the lad to survive.


	2. Chapter 2

Fire Scale

Colonel Roy Mustang looked up as his office door opened; he had assumed that it was 1st lieutenant Hawkeye with more paperwork. He was surprised to see the lone figure of Alphonse Elric, who walked in without saying anything, and without closing the door, and stood in front of Roy's desk.

"Alphonse, I didn't expect you," Roy put down his pen and leaned forward in his chair. "Where is Fullmetal? I heard from the local police that his mission was a complete success. All objectives were completely with no fatalities and no property damage. Of course that was 2 weeks ago. I expected to hear from him before now."

Al just stood there, looking straight ahead. Almost as if he hadn't heard. All of mustang's subordinates, even Hawkeye had gathered around the open door of the office, curious about where Edward was.

"You are wrong," Roy started as Al spoke; his voice was devoid of any emotion, it was empty. "There was a fatality."

"And Fullmetals sulking about it..."

"No!" Al cut of Roy's words before he could continue. "The fatality was brother... he's, he's dead..."

His voice cracked at these words, it was full of tears that he couldn't shed. Roy couldn't process the wards he had just heard, he stared at the motionless form of Al in front of him. Almost as if he was waiting for Al to tell him it wasn't true, that it was just a joke. The people gathered in the doorway seemed to be in similar states of shock.

"He was checking the room, making sure that no-one was left behind. I was getting the others out, Ed told me to, but there was a fire," Al stopped, his voice was cracking again. He still hadn't moved an inch. "We... we got outside and there was an explosion. There was so much fire, it was like a volcano... they said it was too hot; no-one could have survived... I went back later, when the fire had died down... there was nothing but ashes and twisted lumps of metal... he's really gone..."

Slowly Al collapsed to his knee's his armoured hands were cradling his metal helmet. Hawkeye hurried forward to try and comfort the shaking boy. Furey had tears in his eyes, Havoc, Breda and falman all moved into Roy's office and sat on his couch. They didn't seem to be able to take it in. Roy hadn't moved, he still stared at the point Al had been standing, but he didn't see anything. His hands were baled into fists and were shaking slightly.

"I'll need to inform the Fuhrer," Roy's voice sounded hollow even to himself. Even as he said the words he found himself fighting tears.

"He was only 14..." The whispered statement came from Furey, who was still standing at the office door with tears running down his face. Everyone turned to look at the little man, even Al. "He was only a child..."

* * *

Doctor Stone sighed in relief as he entered his village. It was good to be home. He looked up at his horse; he was leading the animal and had been doing so for most of the journey. The doctor then looked back at the boy who was tied over the saddle. He hadn't regained consciousness since the doctor had found him. He frowned, the doctor was very worried about his patient, apart from the head injury, the boy had multiple bone fractures, a dislocated shoulder and numerous cuts, bruises and burns. The boy was very lucky to be alive.

"The doctor's back!" the shout came from a teenage girl with brilliant red hair. "And he's brought someone with him!"

"He' hurt," The doctor called out, "Will someone prepare a bed in my house please?"

There was a flurry of activity as a couple of women ran to a single story house near the edge of the village. Some men jogged towards the approaching doctor and his mount. The doctor began to loosen the bonds securing the boy to the horse. Two men lifted the boy and began carrying him into the house.

"Be gentle," The doctor handed to reigns of his horse to a boy who lead it away. The doctor made his way into the house; he followed the men carrying the boy into a plain room, which was obviously unused. The men gently placed the boy on the bed that had been prepared by the 2 women who had run ahead.

"What happened to him?" The question came from the red-head that announced the doctor's presence to the village. She was one of the women who had prepared the room.

"I'm not sure," The doctor smiled tiredly at the disbelieving look he earned from the teen at the statement. "He's been unconscious since I found him."

The doctor didn't volunteer any other information. He just ushered the people from the room, and returned to his patient. He smoothed the boy's hair away from his forehead, and smiled at the boy.

"You've made it this far lad," The hand stilled on the boy's head. "Don't give up now; all you have to do is wakeup."

* * *

Roy stood next to Al at the cemetery. They were all in central for the memorial. Despite the lack of body a grave had been dug. The coffin that was in the ground contained a single photograph, provided by Winry Rockbell when she and her grandmother had arrived a few days before. The subject of the photo was 2 boys, one sandy haired and brown eyed, the other blonde haired and golden eyed.

The sounds of crying and murmurs of conversation washed over Roy as he stood silently the empty grave. He turned slightly to look at the boy standing beside him. Alphonse hadn't spoken a word to anyone since he had broken down in Roy's office, not even to tell the Rockbell women what had happened. That had been left to Roy. He wasn't sure what Al might do when he came out of the almost catatonic state he was in, and wanted to make sure that he wouldn't do anything foolish in his grief.

"I'm going home, to Resembool," Al's words came as a surprise to Roy after the young man's silence. "I know your worried colonel, but I won't do anything stupid or reckless."

Al's helmet turned towards Roy, who met the red gaze unflinchingly. Al turned back to look at the grave in front of them. For a few minutes neither of them spoke. Then Roy broke the silence.

"I trust that you won't Alphonse. Good luck and I hope to see you again."

The boy inclined his head slightly before walking over to Winry and Pinako. He spoke to them for a few moments before all three turned to leave. Al raised his hand in a mute farewell to the people that he knew.

* * *

Words flowed around him, he could hear them but they didn't mean anything to him. He opened his eyes and then immediately closed them again as the light blinded him. He must have made a sound of some kind because the words stopped, and he felt a hand on the top of his head. He opened his eyes again and found that he could keep them open this time, he looked up into the face of a girl who seemed to be a little older than he was, with pale skin and freckles that were sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, and fiery red hair falling around her face.

"So you're awake then," He winced; her voice seemed disproportionately loud in the quiet room. The girl ignored his discomfort; she stood up and went to the door.

"He's awake," She called out of the door before returning and sitting at the foot of his bed. A man entered the room and seated himself in a chair near the boy's head. The man smiled down at him gently, before leaning forward and resting his chin on his hands.

"I was beginning to think that you would never wake up," The boy struggled to sit up, but was restrained by a gentle hand on his chest.

"I realise that this must be a bit disconcerting for you, so let me introduce myself. My name is Julian stone, I am a doctor. This is my house; you have been unconscious for 2 months now."

"T two..?" The boy tried to speak but only ended up coughing. The red-head scooted up the bed and placed a glass of water to his mouth. The doctor supported his head as he drank.

"Yes 2 months," The doctor continued when the boy had finished drinking. "Now what is your name? And can you tell us what happened to you? How you were injured?"

The boy frowned, his forehead scrunching up in concentration. He blinked and looked at the doctor, confusion and the beginnings of panic clearly showing on his face.

"I don't remember," The doctor opened his mouth to reassure the obviously upset boy, but was silenced by a shake of the boy's head. "I don't remember anything..."


	3. Chapter 3

Just a note to say thankyou to everyone who reviewed.

And to add the disclaimer that i forgot in the first two chapters.

THIS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME.

There all done. Enjoy...

Fire Scale

"You can't get up," The red-headed girl stood with her arms folded, frowning her disapproval at the boy who was struggling to rise from the bed. "Your automail won't work; the metal is heat warped and has impact damage too. Not to mention you've been unconscious for 2 months. You'll need to build the strength in your muscles again."

The boy flopped back onto the bed again, knowing the girl was right but not liking it at all. He wanted nothing more than to get up and moving since he had woken the day before.

"That's better," The girl moved into the room and seated herself next to the bed. "My name's Annie. If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them."

"When can I get up?" Annie laughed at the puppy-dog eyes that accompanied the question.

"Well, we don't have an automail mechanic in the village," The boy frowned at this. "Don't worry; our machinist has already measured you while you were unconscious. He forged the parts and is now in the nearest town. He'll get them put together there. He should be back in a week give or take a few days."

"What's a machinist?"

"Really? You don't know?" The girl shook her head in disbelief. "A machinist is a smith that specialises in machine parts."

The boy was silent, seemingly processing the information. The red-head watched him with a slightly confused expression on her face. Both turned towards the door at the sound of a soft laugh. Doctor Stone stood in the doorway with an amused expression on his face.

"Don't be so surprised Annie, in most of the world automail parts are made by machine."

"Why is here different, doc?" The blonde pinned the man with an intense golden stare.

"This place is called Tetsu Valley. It is very isolated here, we are completely surrounded by mountains, and although there are a few passes through them, all are narrow and impossible to navigate with anything bigger than a horse," The doctor paused at this point to make sure his audience was listening. "Due to this isolation we have to be as self sufficient as possible. We still need certain things from the outside; every so often a few people will travel to get anything needed. I was on such an errand when I found you. Anyway, getting back on subject, because of our isolation, the people in the village do everything the traditional way, by hand. We have no electricity and very few modern conveniences."

"Why do people stay here then? In fact, why is there a village here at all?"

"We stay because we're happy here. This is our home," The doctor had to smile at the confused expression on the blonde's face. "This settlement was founded because of the iron rich mountains that surround it; there are other metals present too. This is a town of miner's metallurgists and smiths. What we make is used to barter for what we can't produce ourselves."

"I see..." The boy looked to be in deep thought for a few minutes, before he looked up. "Why did you help me?"

"Because you needed help," The doctor answered without hesitation, he was looking the blonde directly in the eyes. "Once you're better you can work to repay us if it makes you feel better. But our help was freely given."

* * *

"Colonel Mustang," Lieutenant Hawkeye knocked on the door to the office and entered with a report held in her hands. "I think that you should see this." 

Roy took the report from her with a nod of thanks. His eyes widened as he read what was written on the paper.

"Can we take this seriously?" He looked up at Hawkeye.

"Yes sir, the source in very reliable," She pinned Roy with a stern look. "Are you going to tell Alphonse?"

"No, if this turns out to be wrong then it will devastate him. It's better that he doesn't know."

"And you believe that this might be genuine?"

"Yes. There was no body, if anyone could survive that fire, it's Edward."

"Who will you send sir?"

"I think that I will go," Roy smiled at Hawkeyes surprised expression, when he made the statement. "The sighting was only 2 day's north of here, and I'm due an inspection tour soon."

"As you wish sir," Hawkeye saluted and left the room. Roy watched her leave, and though his eyes remained fixed on the doorway, his mind was elsewhere.

* * *

"Hey!" Annie burst into the room and bounced over to the bedridden blonde. "Guess what! Our machinist is back!" 

"Finally!" The blonde grinned in anticipation at the prospect of getting out of bed. "When can I get my automail fitted?"

"Don't be so impatient," The girl scolded. "He'll be here when he's ready, not before."

"It's ok lass, I'm here now," A man with iron grey hair stood at the door; in his hand he carried a large bag. "Nice to see you awake. I am called Paul Denby."

"Nice to meet you sir," The boy was still grinning, unable to suppress his excitement.

"I see your keen to get this done," The machinist moved to sit next to the bed. "Doctor Stone tells me that you have amnesia, so I need to tell you that fitting these limbs will hurt. A lot"

The boy nodded his understanding and Denby began the process of attaching the prosthetics. Annie stood at the foot of the bed and watched in mute horror as each limb was connected and the blonde's body was spasming in pain, but he refused to cry out. When it was over the young man was left sweat-drenched and shaking. Too tired despite his earlier enthusiasm, to attempt to get up. Denby smiled at the exhausted boy before retreating from the room.

"That was awful," Annie had come to kneel by the boys head. She began to stroke the golden hair back from his forehead."You can't get up now, that whole process took too much energy from you."

The blonde looked ready to protest, he moved as if to get up, but achieved little more than tensing his muscles for a moment before relaxing back into the bed again. Conceding defeat, not having enough energy to even voice an objection.

"Father, the doctor that is, said that when you can get up you should join the boy's learning aikido. It will help to build up your strength again," The red-head smiled down at the tired boy, her hand was still running through his hair. "I'll show you around the village too."

The blonde nodded slightly in response. The motion of Annie's hand through his hair was relaxing him, and he was beginning to fall asleep. Even as he was drifting off he heard her next wards clearly.

"I hope you stay here with us. I always wanted a brother..."

* * *

"Sir. How was your trip?" Hawkeye greeted Roy as he entered the office. 

Roy sighed and continued past her, he dropped tiredly onto the couch in his office. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. Hawkeye followed him in and waited for him to answer her question. Roy looked up at her.

"It was a total waste of time. The sighting turned out to be false. It wasn't him."

Hawkeye shook her head sadly and turned to leave Roy alone.

"I still think that he's alive," Roy's words stopped Hawkeye in her tracks. "He wouldn't allow himself to die, not when he hasn't finished his task. He wouldn't break the promise he made to his brother."

"Even if you're right, sir, you have no way of knowing where he is. And why wouldn't he come back if he was able to?"

"I know that," Roy slumped forward and hung his head. "But I have a gut feeling that he's alive, and I'm going to find him."


	4. Chapter 4

Once again thankyou to all thase who reviewed. It is very much appreciated.

Disclaimer; Fullmetal alchemist still does not belong to me.

Fire Scale

"Come on!" The blonde decided that he was getting used to Annie bursting into his room and bouncing around. "I'll give you the grand tour, and then you can go meet sensei for aikido."

The boy grinned, happy to be up and about. He was on his feet, a little unsteady and defiantly not moving very fast, but still moving. Annie hovered next to him, ready to help if he needed it.

They made their way out of the house; the blonde looked around with interest, not having been outside since he woke. Where the pair stood was a cluster of houses, the mountains that surrounded the valley cast shadows across the houses all the way to a lake that lay in the centre of the valley. Across the other side of the water seemed to be workshops of some kind, they were well spaced away from each other. There was a clear area of close packed dirt set a little away from the other buildings.

"Here is where everyone lives," the girl indicated the group of houses they were standing near. "The clear area over there is the practice grounds. It's for aikido, archery, sword fighting and that kind of stuff. We'll go there later. Let's get going, Paul said to drop in his workshop. He wants to see how the automail is working."

She pulled him into a slow walk. The journey the workshops wasn't a long one and they soon arrived. They entered the dim interior slowly; it was very hot, due to a fire in the middle of the room. Tools hung on racks around the room; there was a large anvil near the fire. Tubs of different liquids were placed against one wall. The blonde moved farther into the room, studying the contents of the tubs. He dipped his fingers in each of them.

"Oil, brine, but I don't know what this one is," The boy murmured to himself.

"Polymer dissolved in water," The voice startled both of the teens. It belonged to a man standing in the entrance of the workshop. He was short and stocky with muscled corded like wire on his arms. His long dark hair was drawn back from his face in a topknot. The blonde was the first to recover from his surprise.

"What are they for?"

"Quenching metals," The man wasn't going to elaborate but seeing the look in the boy's eyes prompted him to continue. "Each of the substances cools the metal at different rates."

"It gives different properties to the metal."

"That's right," The two continued to talk in increasing detail. While they were distracted Denby arrived, he stood next to Annie and watched the two for a while.

"How long have they been talking?" he asked Annie.

"About 20 minutes now," He simply nodded; any further conversation between them was halted by a raised voice.

"That is enough for now," It was the short man who spoke. "We will continue this later."

This declaration resulted in everyone staring at him in confusion. The man smiled at the blonde.

"Now before we continue, I have to ask you if you are planning on staying here, in Tetsu Valley."

"I, uh, I don't know..." The boy was wide eyed, not expecting the question. "I wanted to find out who I am, maybe find out if I have a family..."

"Why?" Annie interrupted him. She was frowning, and her body was shaking slightly. "Father told me how he found you. There was an explosion, huge amounts of fire. He saw people walking away from the fire. They didn't even try to look for you. _We_ looked after you, _we_ nursed you back to health, and_ we_ replaced your automail. Why would you even consider going back to the people who abandoned you..."

"Enough child. He must make up his own mind," The dark mans stern words silenced the girl. He turned to the blonde. "Let me know when you decide. My name Georg Agricola, I am a Master Smith. If you decide to stay you will be my apprentice."

* * *

"Lieutenant colonel Mustang's office," Havoc answered the phone in a lazy manor, lounging back in his chair, the omnipresent cigarette in his mouth. 

"2nd lieutenant, how are you?" Havoc sat up in his chair.

"Alphonse! I'm good. I guess you're calling to find out how the lieutenant colonels search went."

"Why would I do that 2nd lieutenant" Havoc paled at the words, realising that he had said the wrong thing.

"Don't worry kid, it's nothing."

"Don't give me that" tell me what's going on, it obviously involves me, as you thought I already knew," Al's voice was uncharacteristically sharp, and Havoc's mouth fell open in surprise, his cigarette falling to the ground. Before he could say anything more, a hand took the phone from him.

"Alphonse, this is Mustang. Please just leave this alone. I didn't mean for you to find out."

"Please sir, this has something to do with my brother. I know it does. Don't shut me out..."

"Alphonse," Roy stopped and took a deep breath, coming to a decision. "I had word of a sighting of Edward to the north, this report proved to be false. Although this was a dead end, I believe that Edward is still alive, and I plan to search for him."

"Then I will too."

"Alphonse..."

"No! If there's even a remote chance that he's alive, I want to find him! I want to help!"

"You can stay with your friends; move on with your life..."

"And live as an empty shell? Without Ed I have no hope. Even if I get my body back, I would still be empty without my brother. He's all I have left."

"Alright Alphonse, I will keep you informed of any sightings," Roy paused; his mouth was set in a grim, determined line. "We will find him."

"Yes sir. I know we will."

* * *

The blonde was walking with a limp as he made his way back to the doctor's house. Annie had taken him to the practice grounds after they had left the machinists workshop. She hadn't said a word since her earlier outburst. When they had arrived Sensei had ignored her in favour of assessing his new student. After putting the blonde through a series of exercises and stretches designed to test his strength, flexibility and endurance, sensei had demonstrated some exercises for him to do to rebuild some muscle before he could join the regular aikido sessions. He was also instructed to meditate, to clear his mind in order to relax and learn about his body. 

When sensei had finished with him, the blonde found that Annie had disappeared. So he decided to return to the doctor's house. He was practically shaking with exhaustion when he arrived, unused to doing so much. The doctor met him at the door and helped him to the kitchen, where there was food ready for the blonde to eat. The doctor sat with him, waiting until he had finished eating before speaking.

"Do you know why Annie is upset? When she came in she shut herself in her room and hasn't come out since."

"The Master Smith asked me if I was going to stay here,"

"And..." The doctor prompted when the boy stopped.

"I said that I didn't know."

"Ah, I see," The doctor sat back in his chair and looked seriously at the young man in front of him. "Let me tell you something. While you were unconscious, Annie looked after you; she would sit for hours just talking to you. She got rather attached, and I believe that she began to think of you as the brother she could never have."

"Why..."

"Annie's mother, my wife, died in childbirth. You see when my daughter was born there were complications. We couldn't stop the bleeding and she went into shock. There was nothing that we could do. Even though Annie grew up with the other village children, she was lonely. She always wanted a bigger family, a sibling. Like the other children. Don't judge her too harshly."

"I won't. Thank you for telling me, I have a lot to think about."

"You are always welcome here, should you choose to stay."

"Thanks doc," The boy smiled slightly. "I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Annie said that there were other people when you found me. That they left me. Is it true?"

The doctor sighed heavily and looked the blonde straight in the eye.

"That is certainly how it appeared."

The blonde closed his eyes and bowed his head. His thoughts turned inwards. The doctor, sensing the boy's need to be alone, stood and left the room. Turning back only when he closed the door. His last glimpse was of the blond sitting like a statue, his hands balled into fists.


	5. Chapter 5

My apologies for the late update, It's been a hectic two weeks.

Thankyou to all those who reviewed, all imput is appreciated.

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me.

Fire Scale

"Sir," Hawkeye stood at the door to Roy's office. "General Hakuro is on the line for you."

"Thank you, I'll take it in here," Roy lifted the phone from its cradle. "This is Mustang."

"I have an assignment for you Mustang. If you do this right you might find yourself back in Central again."

"What is the mission sir?"

"Have you heard the reports of the serial killer who has been targeting state alchemists?"

"No, I can't say I have sir."

"We have little information about him, but eye witness reports describe him as having a scar in the shape of a cross on his face. Because of this we have been calling him 'Scar'. It will be your job to hunt him down. You may choose your own team for this mission. Your liaison in investigations will be Lieutenant-colonel Maes Hughes. I believe that you already know him."

"I do."

"One more thing Mustang, these orders come directly from the Fuhrer. So don't screw this up."

Hakuro hung up the phone without any further comment. Roy replaced the phone and looked up at Hawkeye who was still in the room.

"I'm feeling a vague sense of déjà-vu," Roy's comment obviously confused Hawkeye, but he didn't elaborate. "Summon Havoc, Furey and Breda please. I have something to say to all of you."

Hawkeye saluted and left the room. She wasn't gone long and Roy had little time to brood about the situation. A knock at the door signalled the arrival of his subordinates. They entered and stood to attention in front of Roy. Hawkeye, who was the last to enter, closed the door before joining the rest.

"I have been given an assignment, to stop a serial killer who has been targeting state alchemists. I will require your assistance to complete this task. Our liaison in investigations will be lieutenant- colonel Hughes. Are there any questions?"

"Sir," It was Furey who spoke up. "What about your search for Edward? What will you tell Alphonse?"

"I have no intention of giving up. The search for Scar will involve both intelligence gathering and travelling to follow up leads. It will be possible to incorporate both objectives. Alphonse has expressed a wish to help with the search for Edward, I will see if he can work with us, follow anything that we are unable to. Are there any more questions?"

No-one moved to ask anything else. Roy looked at each of them and nodded to himself. He stood up from his chair.

"You are dismissed."

As everyone left Roy walked to the window and looked out. He stayed there until he heard the door click as it closed. Then he returned to his desk and picked up the phone. It was time to call Hughes.

* * *

The blonde boy sat on a rocky ledge overlooking the village. He had climbed there to be alone, to think. The same thoughts kept rolling around his head in a never ending circle. He raised his right hand in front of his eyes and turned it slowly. He watched the light play across the surface of the metal. He closed his eyes for a moment before coming to a decision. 

He climbed back down from his perch and walked back to the doctor's house. As he entered he heard the low murmur of voices from the kitchen. The voices stopped as he entered the room. The blonde shifted nervously for a moment before looking at the 2 occupants of the room.

"Hi, um, I, uh, wanted to speak to you," The boy shifted again, obviously uneasy.

"Come and sit with us," The doctor smiled and gestured towards a chair, trying to put the boy at ease.

"Thanks, but I'd rather stand."

"What is it?" Annie prompted when the blonde paused again.

"I was thinking, about everything that you said, and I was wondering, if it was still ok I mean. I'd like to stay, but I can go if you don't want me to stay..."

The boy was startled out of his rambling by a loud yell that came from Annie, who then jumped up and tackle hugged him so hard that the blonde lost his balance and they both ended up flat on the floor. With the delighted red-head still hugging the boy while lying on top of him.

"Of course it's ok," The doctor looked at the two on the floor with an amused smile. "But, if you don't mind telling me, why did you decide to stay?"

The girl finally let go, allowing them both to sit up. They stayed seated on the floor as the boy considered his answer.

"Whoever I was before, the people that I knew before obviously didn't want me, they left me. I'm not sure I want to find out what kind of person I was, to deserve a reaction like that. Here I can repay my debt to you, and be useful. Maybe I can even be happy..."

Both the doctor and the girl looked sad at the blonde's words. Annie stood up and grabbed his hand, hauling him to his feet.

"I don't think you were, are, a bad person," The red-head declared. "Just because you can't remember, doesn't change who you are. I believe you are a good person."

The doctor nodded in agreement and moved over to the boy. He placed his hand on the blondes shoulder and smiled.

"Welcome to your new home."

The blonde couldn't help smiling at the words the doctor said. Maybe he really could be happy here.

* * *

Roy was waiting on the platform of Central train station as a train ground to a halt with a loud squeal of breaks. Passengers immediately began to leave the train in a steady stream. But Roy did not move until he saw the person that he was waiting for. 

"Colonel!" A large suit of armour waved at Roy as he stepped down from the carriage. Roy smirked and walked over.

"Alphonse, how are you?"

"I'm fine sir. Have you heard anything new about Ed?"

"There have been several reported sightings. Two in the east and one to the south."

The pair began to walk away from the station. They met Hawkeye, who was waiting outside for them, as they left. She saluted and fell into step behind them. Havoc was leaning against the car smoking as he waited. He straightened at their approach, discarded the cigarette and opened the car door with a salute. Al and Roy both climbed into the before continuing their conversation.

"Are any of those reports likely to be solid sir?"

"I don't know Alphonse. I will be able to check out the sightings in the east as I have to travel there on another case. But I am unable to go south at the moment."

"I can go sir!"

"Thank you Alphonse, I was going to ask if you would."

"I want to help find my brother."

"I understand, we are on our way to Hughes place now. He has the information that you will need.

"Thank you sir, for understanding."

There was silence in the car for the rest of the trip. Both man and boy were occupied with their own thoughts.

* * *

"Hello, is anyone here?" The blonde called out as he entered the forge. Annie followed behind but stayed by the entrance as he moved further into the building. 

"I take it that you have made your choice," The statement followed the entrance of the Master Smith. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Clearly awaiting a response from the boy.

"Yes sir. I will be staying here."

"Good. You will be my apprentice, starting immediately," The short man frowned. "How old are you?"

"I, I don't know."

"Father said that based on bone development, he's about 14," Annie walked up behind the boy. "Even if he is short for his age."

"HEY, WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT!" The blonde shouted, before realising what he had done and scowling in confusion. The other two were looking at him strangely. "Sorry, I'm not sure why I lost my temper..."

"You should not be offended by a simple fact," The Master Smith glared at the boy. "You will have to learn self control. From now on, I will punish any outburst or loss of temper. You will learn to control yourself. Do you understand boy?"

"Yes sir."

"You will address me as Master for as long as you are my apprentice," he took the boy's face in one hand and tilted his head so that he was looking directly into his eyes. "You need a name, I cannot keep calling you boy... You will be Vulcan.(1)"

He abruptly let go of the blondes face. The boy stood still, shocked by the suddenness of his naming. He watched as the Master Smith turned to leave.

"Be here tomorrow, an hour after sunrise. Do not be late."

Annie grabbed the blonde's hand and pulled him out of the forge and towards the doctor's house. He went with her willingly, not even trying to retrieve his captive hand. Annie burst in the house and was shouting right away.

"Father! Master Agricola gave our guest a name!"

"Oh, and what name is that?" The doctor asked as he approached them.

"Vulcan, he called him Vulcan."

The doctor studied the blonde for a few moments before smiling and nodding.

"Yes, I believe that name will suit you well."

1.Just in case anyone wanted to know, Vulcan is the Roman God of fire and forge.


	6. Chapter 6

Once again I apolagise for the long wait.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, any views or criticisms are welcome.

Disclaimer; not mine.

Fire Scale

Vulcan staggered into the kitchen and dropped into a chair. He sat there with his eyes closed, practically asleep. The doctor smiled at the oblivious blonde. He made tea for them and sat down across from Vulcan, pushing the boy's tea towards him. The blonde opened his eyes at the scraping sound the cup made as it was pushed. He smiled at the doctor in thanks as he lifted the cup and blew on the contents to cool it.

"Tired?" It wasn't really a question. The doctor could see that the boy was already half asleep.

"I had no idea metal working was so much work, and excercisises with Sensei this morning too," Vulcan groaned into his cup. "This schedule is going to kill me!"

"I think that you are being a bit dramatic. You've had the same schedule for the last 2 months and it hasn't killed you yet. Anyway, I went through the same thing during my apprenticeship, and I survived."

"You trained as a doctor though. Isn't that different?"

"Yes. But I also trained in metal craft before deciding to go into medicine."

"Really? Why?"

"Everyone in this village learns. As we get older we specialise in what we want to do, or go into something different, like I did."

"Specialise?"

"Yes. You met Paul, our machinist. He specialises in making parts for machines, like your automail. And Annie specialises in making decorative items, such as jewellery."

"What about the Master Smith?"

"Georg is a special case. He has an affinity with metal, the gift to be able to mould it into any shape he wishes. He must have seen something special in you to take you as his apprentice."

Vulcan was silent for a while, lost in thought. He finished his tea before looking at the doctor again.

"What will I specialise in?"

"Now that is up to you Vulcan. No one can make that choice for you."

The blonde nodded. Then he stood, yawning.

"I'm going to sleep now. Thanks for the information doc,"

"You're welcome Vulcan. Sleep well."

The blonde made his way to the room that was his since he had been here. He kicked off his shoes and collapsed on his bed fully clothed. He was asleep almost instantly.

* * *

"It is time for you to learn to ride a horse." 

"What!" The blonde boy stared at the Master Smith in disbelief. "Why do I need to learn that?"

"No student of mine will be unable to ride. You have been my apprentice for 8 months now. I will be teaching you how to be a farrier soon, so you need to be at ease around horses. Now come with me."

The two made their way to the stables and practice area. There was a horse there, already saddled, with its reigns looped loosely around a fence post. Vulcan hung back and studied the horse; its glossy black colour was broken here and there by swirls of dark brown, and the mane and tail were the same black broken by brown. The horse stared back at him, as if studying him in return. The Master Smith approached the horse and untied the reigns. He led the horse to the centre of the practice area.

"This is Obsidian. Come closer boy, she won't bite."

Vulcan cautiously made his way over to the Master Smith and horse, stopping a few feet away. The Master Smith shook his head at the blonde's obvious reluctance to come closer and turned back to the horse.

"A few things to remember boy, She can sense your fear..."

"I am not scared!"

"You are. See she's skittish. You're uneasy so she is too. Calm yourself and she will settle. Second thing; don't stand behind her unless you want to get kicked. Got that? Good. Now time to start, watch me first then do as I do."

The Master Smith mounted the horse, and then dismounted again. He gestured for Vulcan to do the same, and stood holding the reigns and stroking Obsidians nose to calm her. Vulcan approached nervously, but had no problems mounting.

"Good, now take the reins,"

The Master Smith handed the reins to the blonde and stepped away. The blonde stared at the reigns in his hands as if he didn't know what to do with them. He shifted in the saddle and opened his mouth to speak. Obsidian chose that moment to move, startling the blonde and making yank sharply on the reigns. The horse didn't like the pulling at her mouth and reared, trying to dislodge the boy. Vulcan let out a startled yell as he slid from the saddle, ending up in a heap on the ground behind the horse. As he staggered to his feet the horse took the opportunity to aim a kick at the blonde, striking him in the chest and sending him sprawling a few feet away.

The Master Smith was roaring with laughter, even as he secured the horse to the fence and made his way over to his apprentice, who was struggling to get up; one of his arms was curled protectively around his chest. He was glaring at the still laughing Master Smith.

"What the hell was that?"

"Your first lesson," The Master Smith's reply earned a feral snarl from the blonde, which he ignored in favour of examining his apprentices injury. He probed the blonde's chest gently with his fingers and the boy winced.

"Just bruising to the ribs. You'll be sore for a few days but otherwise fine."

"Why didn't you help me?"

"You wouldn't have learned anything if I had. The best way to learn is to do, and to make mistakes. I trust that you won't make the same mistakes again."

"No, I won't. But you didn't have to laugh, and that horse is evil."

"She's not evil; by pulling sharply on the reins you hurt her mouth. And with you sitting in the saddle with all the grace of a sack of potatoes, I don't blame her for wanting you off. You will try again now."

The blonde glared at the horse, which looked back at him innocently. He gritted his teeth and moved towards the horse. He was determined not be defeated by the animal. The Master Smith stood back to watch, grinning in anticipation of what was sure to be a good show.

* * *

Roy was waiting outside the Fuhrer's office for a meeting with him. He couldn't seem to keep still and was pacing in front of the closed doors. He stopped as the doors opened and the Fuhrer's secretary appeared. She motioned for him to enter and stood to one side to make room for him to pass. Roy entered the room and saluted the Fuhrer, who was seated behind a massive desk. 

"Ah, colonel Mustang. It's been a while."

The Fuhrer smiled benignly at Roy. The secretary closed the doors quietly and made her way to a much smaller desk situated to one side of the room. Roy's eyes followed her movements for a moment before snapping back to the Fuhrer.

"I requested your presence here to hear from if the reports that I have been receiving are accurate."

"Sir, I assure you that the reports I sent are accurate. Is there any part that you wish me to elaborate on?"

"Indeed Mustang, you can tell me why, in the 18 months since you were given your assignment, you have failed to catch the murderer."

"We have made progress sir. We now have an accurate description of the man, and he has gone to ground. The murders have stopped."

"I am aware of that already. In fact I received a report this morning. Apparently a man matching the murderer's description was seen crossing our eastern borders. It seems that Scar has left Amestris."

"Sir, will we be pursuing him?"

"No, I think not Mustang. You and you team are to be transferred back to Central."

"Yes sir."

"You are dismissed Mustang."

Roy saluted and turned to leave. As he reached the doors he paused at the sound of the Fuhrer's voice.

"And Mustang, if you must continue your wild goose chase of a search for Fullmetal, do it on your own time. If it interferes with your duties you will regret it." The Fuhrer paused "He has been gone for 2 years now. Do you really believe that he is still alive?"

"Yes sir. I do." Roy answered without turning to face the Fuhrer.

"Very well, that is all."

Roy opened the doors and exited the room without looking back. He frowned as he walked through the corridors, causing some of the people he passed to move away from him hurriedly, hoping that they wouldn't be around to feel the force of his displeasure. Roy barely even noticed them; he was too intent on getting to his subordinates as fast as possible.

He entered his temporary office to find his staff sitting and talking. They all looked up at his entrance. He walked in and collapsed into a chair without saying anything.

"So, how'd it go?" Havoc was the one to break the silence.

"We're being transferred back to Central,"

"That's good, right?" Furey looked unsure of his statement.

"Why are we being transferred sir?" Hawkeye asked.

"The Fuhrer received word this morning that Scar crossed our eastern borders. It is no longer practical to pursue him."

"What about looking for Ed? Are we still going to search for him?" Furey asked.

"The Fuhrer has basically forbidden me to search using military resources. He suggested that I do it 'on my own time'."

"But we're not going to stop are we?" Furey persisted.

"No, but Alphonse is going to be doing a whole lot more travelling now that we can't."

Vulcan groaned as he woke. His head ached, his whole body ached and his mouth felt completely numb. He stayed still; his eyes were closed as he tried to remember what happened the night before. Annie had wanted to celebrate; it had been 2 years since he had decided to stay in Tetsu Valley. She had decided that it was his birthday, as they didn't know when his real one was. And since he was now 16 she was going to get him drunk. She had told him that everyone should get drunk before being legal because it was more fun that way. He couldn't remember much of anything past the first 4 or 5 drinks.

There was a metallic taste in his mouth, so he decided to clean his teeth to try and get rid of the flavour. He struggled up from his bed and to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. He was still fully clothed and they were wrinkled and messy from sleeping in them. As he cleaned his teethe felt the brush tap against something hard in his mouth, he spat out the remaining toothpaste and rinsed his mouth out before checking in his mouth with a finger. He encountered a little ball on his tongue; he withdrew his finger and stuck out his tongue to look at it in the mirror. There was a bar stuck through his tongue with a little ball on each end. He stood and stared in shock.

"Wha'..." He found that he couldn't speak properly. So he spun around and stalked out of the room in search of Annie. He found her in the kitchen with the doctor. They both looked up at his entrance. He stormed over to Annie and glared at her.

"Wha' di' ya do?" He attempted to demand, but failed to produce complete words.

"Pierced your tongue. I've been experimenting with miniature threading for jewellery. You thought it was a good idea when I showed it to you last night." She smiled at him sweetly. He snarled wordlessly in reply.

"Let me see Vulcan." The doctor held Vulcan's face gently as the blonde stuck his tongue out. He finished his examination and let go of the boy's face.

"It should heal cleanly, though it is rather swollen at the moment, the swelling should go down soon. We can take out the bar if you like. It will take at least a month to heal completely weather it's taken out or not. And you'll have to be on a liquid diet for at least the first week."

"Please keep it Vulcan. It's your birthday present from me." Annie begged him, looking at him with pleading eyes. "It won't heal any faster if it comes out. Please, I'll make it up to you."

The blonde looked at Annie for a few moments before closing his eyes with a resigned sigh and nodding his head in reluctant agreement. The red-head clapped her hands and hugged him happily.

"Here, drink this." The doctor handed Vulcan a glass. The boy took the glass but made no move to drink its contents, he just stared at it with a mildly disgusted expression on his face.

"It's only milk. It won't kill you." The doctor looked faintly amused at the blonde's reaction. "You will need to drink it Vulcan. It will help you heal faster."

Vulcan looked at the doctor with a pained expression. Then shot a poisonous glare at Annie, who was giggling behind her hand, before returning his eyes to the deceptively innocent glass in his hand. It was going to be a long week.

Roy hurried towards his office. He had just gotten out of a meeting with the Fuhrer, lieutenant general Grumman, major general Hakuro and brigadier general Grand. It was not good news, he needed to share it with his subordinates and Alphonse, who was visiting. He slammed the door open then shoved it closed with equal force. The occupants of the room all stopped what they were doing to stare at him.

"What's wrong colonel?" Alphonse sounded concerned as he asked the question.

"The border disputes to the south are flaring up. And there are murmurs of unrest to the east. Investigations suspect that Scar is stirring things up."

"How does this affect us sir?" Hawkeye asked the obvious question.

"The Fuhrer is anticipating a war on two fronts, and so is planning on expanding the army. He is sending out the conscription notices in a few months. 1 able bodied person from each family. I'm afraid that you are on that list Alphonse. Your friend Winry will be too."

"Oh, why wait so long before sending the notices?" Al seemed to be resigned to his fate.

"It will take that long to set up the training camp in the south east. Alphonse, we can't continue the search for Edward with this going on. I'm sorry..."

"I understand sir." Al hung his head looking defeated. "I guess it won't make much difference. We haven't found him in 3 years..."

"Don't give up hope Alphonse, we will find him." Hawkeye rested a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort the boy. Al nodded gratefully.

"We are being assigned to the training camp. The advance party will be leaving to start construction in 2 weeks. We are to follow 2 weeks later. Alphonse if you were to volunteer, I could arrange for you to come with us at that point. Will you do that?"

"Yes sir, I will."


End file.
